Newswise — Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (V-WISE), operated by the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University, will offer its sixth conference in Chicago May 3-5. The entrepreneurial training program is available to female veterans of all service eras and branches, military spouses and transitioning active duty service members with a passion for and interest in starting or growing a small business. The application and registration deadline is March 27.

The V-WISE program, founded in 2010, was designed by Syracuse University in cooperation with the U.S. Small Business Administration. V-WISE enables female veterans to find their passion and learn business-savvy skills in order to turn their ideas or businesses into growth ventures. The program integrates leadership, integrity, focus and drive-qualities inherent in female veterans-into a premier education and self-employment training program taught by accomplished entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship educators through a three-phase format: Phase 1: What's First? is a 15-day online, self-study course (a prerequisite to Phase 2) focusing on the basic skills of entrepreneurship and the language of business;Phase 2: Ready, Set, Go! is a three-day conference where participants are exposed to accomplished entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship educators from across the country, consisting of a growth track tailored to those already in business and a startup track focused on potential future entrepreneurs focused on business planning, marketing, accounting and finance, operations and production, human resources, and work life balance; and Phase 3: Keep Moving is post-program support providing a comprehensive listing of community-level resources covering the Small Business Administration (SBA), Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), Women's Business Centers, Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOC), and Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) offices. Admission for V-WISE programs, offered in cities across the country, is on a rolling basis. Early application is highly recommended. The deadline for V-WISE Chicago is March 27. All hotel and conference fees for the program are covered through the support of the SBA. Accepted participants are responsible for the following expenses:one-time $75 registration fee;transportation to and from the on-site conference;associated parking fees while at the conference; anddinner on the second evening of the conference. There is an early bird special registration fee of $50 for anyone who registers for the Chicago offering prior to March 1. To apply, visit http://whitman.syr.edu/vwise. For information on the V-WISE application process, contact IVMF admissions coordinator Katherine Frontino at [email protected] or 315-443-8791. For questions regarding the V-WISE program, contact program manager Meghan Florkowski at [email protected] or 315-443-4629 or 315-877-2264.